Tuesday, February 15, 2011

To home-school ....or not...this is the question.

Two home-schooled Mis. Kids on furlough

The other day on one the news networks they reported how popular homeschooling has become in our nation. Two out of the three reasons highly rated home schooling. The least, of the ratings, was a social one. Children that are home-schooled lack in social skills. It sounds too that the home-schooling era has become a culture in and of itself.

‘’More than one million American children are schooled by their parents. As their ranks grow, home schoolers are making headlines by winning national spelling bees and excelling at elite universities. The few studies conducted suggest that home-schooled children are academically successful and remarkably well socialized. Yet we still know little about this option to one of society's most essential institutions. Beyond a vague notion of children reading around the kitchen table, we don't know what home schooling looks like from the inside” Princeton University.

Very simply, homeschooling offers an opportunity to have some control over the curriculum taught, including the way it is delivered (how, when, why). Your children are safe from abuse, you know where your children are, whose caring for them and the motive in caring for them. You can create a culture of care, respect and nurture both academically, physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally. Families grow up all too quickly; this is an opportunity for Mom and Dad to reconstruct their lives around their children rather than around their employer, to focus on goals and interests. The family unit is an intricate, carefully orchestrated, designed God given construct which governments are clueless about, have no interest in and will never be able to nurture or understand.

It is hard work (like myself I was consumed to the point where the rest of my responsibilities as a housewife and Mom took its toll). And a big responsibility providing home education for your children, but that is also the secret and key to homeschooling, you are responsible for your children, and not any other person school or organization. If you don't think this is important find out what God has to say about children and education.

I was home-schooled part of my life out of necessity and not choice. Deep in the jungles of Brazil schools were void, nada, zip. When we did come back the USA…and although I was an above average student on the field…I got messed up was trying to fit in yet another culture. First public school system, then American vs. Brazilian then just being around lot of people that wore cloths and spoke English....I suppose all four cultures collided and as I look back I was quite confused at times.I am glad that I worked through a lot of those issues and and glad to have experienced growing up in a paradise beyond description... I am fluent in several languages and tend to be flexible to other cultures. Almost opposite of home schooling we did it to survive.

3 comments:

Homeschooling does take a toll, but socialization doesn't have to be part of the toll. We had our kids out and about in the community volunteering and such. I have, however, known families who keep their kids at home and under their thumbs 24/7, and are very regimented, legalistic (think Full Quiver and Bill Gothard) and that is just a recipe for disaster at some point.